Fire and Water : Their New Beginning
by crcravers
Summary: "Kenaya?"- Iroh hadn't said that name in a long time, yet it seemed to ease out of his dry throat as though it was his own. She had taken him somewhat by surprise when she stepped of the boat; the once boyish, loud mouthed teenage girl stood in front of him as a woman.
1. Chapter 1

"Kenaya?"

Iroh hadn't said that name in a long time, yet it seemed to ease out of his dry throat as though it was his own. She had taken him somewhat by surprise when she stepped of the boat; the once boyish, loud mouthed teenage girl stood in front of him as a woman. Her dark brown hair had grown down to her shoulders; her blue eyes had increased in size and colour; yet, her smile hadn't changed, that was the only thing reassuring Iroh that the woman standing in front of him wasn't a complete stranger.

Before he could take another step, Kenaya has hugging tightly around his waist- he rested his chin upon her hair and wrapped his arms over her shoulders, taking in every moment of her presence; he hadn't felt this calm in a long time.

"Can you leave some loving for me there Iroh?"

Abruptly both Iroh and Kenaya stood away ,leaving a cold atmosphere where they once held onto each other- Bumi stood to the side, with folded arms and the typical smirk on his face, his eyes looking back and forth between them.

"Father!"

Kenaya instantly leapt for Bumi, opening her arms to squeeze her father in a loving embrace. She hadn't seen him in many months, and the sheer joy on her face seemed to lighten the grungy mood lurking that morning on the harbour.

"Look at you!" Bumi Held his daughter by the shoulder's at arm's length and scanned her from top to bottom; Iroh couldn't help but do the same, Kenaya had changed quite an amount since he'd last seen her. She'd always been strong, but now she looked it; Her physique was muscular yet she had many curves, which seemed to complement her radiating personality.

"You're bad-ass huh!?" He winked at her, causing her dark cheeks to blush a deep pink. "I heard you can kick some serious butt! That's my girl, Just like your grandmother you are! … Speaking of whom, how was she?"

Kenaya laughed, "Lively as usual, she sends her love…To everyone" She looked over to Iroh and smiled, squinting her eyes kindly. He hadn't realised until then that he'd been smiling ever since her arrival, he instinctively removed the grin of his face, causing Kenaya to flinch slightly.

"Right Kenaya! I want to hear everything! And when I say everything…I mean everything…" Bumi, taking her arm, pulled her towards the sky bison lounging next to the boats; Iroh quickened his pace, reaching them before they climbed onto the large saddle. Kenaya turned to face him, looking him in the eyes pleadingly;

"Are you coming with us Iroh?"

"Kay, I can't even stand a night with my brother's hyperactive family…I don't think Iroh would be able to-"

"I'd love to."

The words slipped out from his mouth without a thought.

Although he wouldn't mind only spending the night with Tenzin and Pema's family, The Idea of devoting the evening to Kenaya made the offer that much more appealing.


	2. Chapter 2

As he looked at the company sitting around the dinner table, Iroh smiled to himself-

Meelo was quite literally mining down into his food; Ikki was talking relentlessly to her older sister Jinora, who hadn't put her book down since her appearance. The baby Rohan was sat on Pemas small lap, who was currently scolding her husband Tenzin for adding too much salt on top of his sea prunes. Everything seemed normal until he'd find himself looking to the far right hand corner, where avatar Korra sat cross legged by Kenaya's side.

He pushed himself off the floor and walked slowly towards the ladies who were both now gleaming at his arrival- before kneeling Iroh flattened his jacket by pulling it down at the sides, he caught glimpse of the smirk appearing on both of the girls faces.

"What are you two smirking at?" he demanded gently, straight away causing Korra to burst into laughter, Kenaya just looked at the floor holding the smirk on her face.

"Nothing." Korra said blankly. "I was just talking to Kenaya here-" She gestured towards Kenaya's face, as though Iroh had never met her before.

"I said it would be great if you two could come and watch us play in a pro bending tournament."

Kenaya smiled up at Iroh excitedly, causing his heart to jump and his own mouth to curve slightly.

"Who did you say was in your team ?" She asked looking back at Korra, raising an eyebrow.

"Mako and Bolin. They are amazing! You would really love them!"

"I'd love to meet them"

Iroh looked back and forth between the girls, who were talking over him about the different fighting styles and discussing some of Korra's favourite strategies within the game. He'd never cared much for conversation, But when the idea hit him Iroh couldn't help but mention it-

"How about a group training session?" both the girls stopped talking and looked at him;

"A group training session?..." whilst speaking Korra looked over towards Kenaya "Look… no offence but I'm not sure you guys can fight the way we do…it's a completely different style!"

"You're kidding?" Iroh stated, face blank again.

"Well… no. you need correct training" Korra murmured.

"correct training?! I'll have you know, both kenaya and I trained together! And although we have probably both grown in different ways, my grandfather taught us much of what we know today. I do not think we need any of your criticism."

Korra looked Iroh straight in the eye, then Kenaya, then back at Iroh.

"Your grandfa- Zuko?"

"and a great teacher he was, Korra." Kenaya spoke slowly, yet sternly, reassuring Iroh by grasping his arm gently.


	3. Chapter 3

"You need to hold that stance Iroh if you don't want to get knocked down."

"but if I hold it, I won't be able to quickly strike at my opponent?"

"True, but if you strike you could lose your balance."

"Then, if that happens, I will attack from beneath."

Iroh watched as his grandfather sighed and took a step back, relaxing his posture;

"Iroh you need to grasp the concept of patience. Striking can be an effective strategy but is an unsure way of going about things, standing your ground will give you time to evaluate your surroundings and the cause of your opponent. Once you've stood your ground - then you can strike, weakening your opponent and having the upper hand."

"You sound just like your uncle!" Sokka yelled from the distance-

Kenaya's giggled echoed through to the other side of the courtyard, where she sat with her great uncle next to the cherry blossom. After kissing Sokka on the cheek, She dusted the dirt from her dress and skipped towards Zuko, placing her delicate hand into his which was held out ready for her arrival. She blushed slightly at the glimpse of eye contact with Iroh and looked down at the stone crossing her feet over bashfully. Zuko smirked;

"Yes Kenaya?"

Zuko knelt down slowly wincing slightly at the discomfort from his old age, he took her other hand in his and smiled at her face, occasionally looking back towards Sokka and smirking-

"would you like to have a few lessons?"

Irohs eye's widened at his grandfather's gesture,

"No she would not! This is our time to train, grandfather!"

"I haven't had a lesson yet though Iroh. That's not fair!" Kenaya's voice trembled yet she turned and faced Iroh, angrily frowning- Zuko snorted, the resemblance with Katara was uncanny.

"That's because you're not a firebender." Iroh spat.

"Iroh-"

"Come to think of it. you're not an airbender either..or a waterbender"

"Iroh now-"

"You are the granddaughter of the avatar and you can't even bend an element. A non-bender? How pathetic."

"IROH STOP NOW."

The firelords voice shook the courtyard and the knees of his grandson who was now backing away holding back his lip from quivering. Zuko held his hand out stopping Sokka from getting up-

"That is exactly what she is Iroh. The granddaughter of the avatar, my good friend- so what exactly makes you think you have the right to give her no respect? Because she is a non-bender? Well lets look a little more through her family tree, because her Uncle great Sokka and father Bumi, both are non-benders, yet BOTH are skilled fighters and valiant people. I can't tell you how many times Sokka deceived and overcame me all with the strength of his hands and sword."

The silence that took over the whole palace was uncomfortable, almost as though nature was waiting for Iroh's apology. Zuko clenched fists slowly loosened as he took in a slow peaceful breath through his nose, he bowed his head at his grandson as he gently recovered and spoke;

"You need to learn to hold that stance; thinking before taking quick actions on an opponent you don't know yet." The firelord squeezed kenaya's small shoulder firmly, "We are still not sure if this one is a non-bender or not- There is still plenty of time to find out, as I am sure we have a future waterbending master in the mists."

"I'm so sorry grandfather- I've learnt a valuable lesson today. " Iroh bowed "And I'm also sorry to you Kenaya." The young prince struggled to apologise to the small girl who stood next to his Grandfathers side, yet he dare not be the cause of the firelords frustration again as he has never been roared at with such passion before in his life.

Of course Zuko was right, Only a few days later Kenaya was found pulling small diamond shaped droplets of water from the turtleduck pond and spinning them gently on the spot. Her aunt Kya passed over her waterbeding scrolls to her neice, and Katara made the promise that she would teach the child everything she knew. being the granddaughter of the avatar, great neice of sokka the warrior and daughter of the brave Commander Bumi- Kenaya was destined to be one of the greatest waterbenders in the world and Iroh despised her because of it.


	4. Chapter 4

"-Yeah you have to be strong to be an earthbender you know…mentally, physically… facially"

Iroh was sick of watching Bolin try to impress Kenaya. His outlandish flexing and jokes hadn't stopped since the moment he laid eyes on her and now he'd resulted in stripping down into the usual white vest top, strutting around the arena like he was some kind of _prince_.

"Alright Bolin, give the performance a rest- you don't even know the girl."

Mako grabbed his brothers shoulder and dragged him to the other side where Iroh and Korra stood;

"Are you kiddin' me here Mako? She was totally falling for me!"

"Smitten." Kenaya giggled, causing Bolin's cheeks to blush.

Her long hair had been tied up into a messy bun and she wore her borrowed top from Korra, which was only a little baggy on her body. They had arrived at the pro-bending arena twenty minutes ago, but with Bolins constant flirting and Korras "Grand" tour, They hadn't started the training session quite yet and you could feel the excitement radiating from Kenaya who couldn't wait to start.

"I still can't get over quite how beautiful this place is!" Kenaya said to Mako, who smiled back kindly- "Yeah I suppose it is! We're kind of used to it now…"

All of the group stared up at the ceiling and its impressive centre piece, it was indeed a magnificent building.

"Right! Let's get down to business" Korra leapt into her fighting position directly in front of kenaya, two fists curled inwards, shielding the smirk on her face. "Girl verses girl- I want to see your legendary fighting Kenaya!"

Of course Kenaya didn't back away- she somewhat mirrored her opponent, pulling her right foot back to stand her ground and drawing her hands close to her face, palms facing out to Korra. Iroh stared up towards the girls in awe, at that moment they looked as though they could have been sisters- The tribal features where more prominent than before; Their dark skin, blue eyes and rounded noses seemed so familiar in the water tribe people and heritage. Iroh looked over at Mako, who seemed also to be admiring the same picture.

Within a blink of the eye both girls drew the water from below the sides of the ring and held it in front of their faces like a sheet of silver metal. Korra circled Kenaya as if she were a predator, swiftly moving the water around in-between the distance of her hands; Kenaya like true prey, never lost eye contact- she simply turned on the spot.

Aggressively and suddenly Korra snapped one of her wrists into the direction of the ceiling, sending a long wave of water towards her challengers ankle- Iroh flinched as soon as Kenaya's back smacked onto the ground, he would have swiftly dashed to her side if he wasn't so sure of her next move.

The water wrapped around her feet solidified and turned quickly into brilliant clear ice, all the way up to Korras forearm. Kenaya pulled her feet out the stream and picked the long pole of ice up from the ground, with Korras arm still attached to the other end.  
Whilst Mako, Bolin and Korra all watched the above show taking place, Iroh was watching the true manoeuvre down on the ground. _Away from view. _

Kenaya had slowly spilled more water on the floor at Korra's feet, Now that Korras arm was somewhat defrosted she was struggling to move from the icy net that surrounded her feet. She looked up with wide surprised eyes at Kenaya;

"You.." She lifted one foot out of the ice, shattering it into millions of pieces "You!" With her other hand she used the warmth of her fire bending to melt the cold wall and stretched out her foot.

"YOU HAVE TO TELL ME HOW YOU DID THAT!"

Kenaya brought her palms together slowly and bowed her head at Korra, smiling;

"I would love to"


	5. Chapter 5

"BOOOOMM! Wow Kenaya you were amazing out there! I mean who knew you had THAT in you?! You're pretty awesome, emphasis on the pretty by the way" Bolin boldly winked at kenaya taking her by surprise, he quickly scurried ahead to his brother who was walking beside Korra, swinging their holding hands.

Kenaya smirked to herself; Bolin was sweet, charming and also the first guy to ever even show any interest in her. Seeing as her father was one of the army generals, she knew the men around her felt as though they could treat her as nothing more than a sister, a good friend if that. And if she had to be completely honest, she was starting to like him back, his obvious attempts to grab her attention where working a charm and she quite frankly was enjoying the attention for once. But then, when she looked back over her shoulder, she felt herself instantly stopping to wait for her childhood competitor who she was becoming more and more fascinated with by the day.

"Kenaya." Iroh greeted in his usual manner once finally walking beside her. She looked up and smiled slightly at her company-

"Iroh." She said, looking back in the direction they were walking, noticing the rest of the gang where quite a distance ahead now, leaving a pitch black space in-between from the night sky.

Neither of them spoke for a few minutes and not a second of those minutes where awkward for Kenaya, she was quite used to Iroh's company, especially when he isn't talking to her. She noticed how he slowed his pace, trying to keep in rhythm with her steps to stay besides her, looking as natural as possible. She couldn't help but smile,

"In a weird way Iroh, I have missed you"

His foot scraped accidently across the pavement causing him to stutter,

"I – uh – yes! Right! And I you, kenaya."

She took in a long breath and shrugged her shoulders admittedly,

"Actually Iroh, I didn't miss you.."

"what?! Why?!"

"NO! no.. I meant- I didn't know I missed you…" she was suddenly aware that they were both standing still in the street, facing each other. His golden eyes fixated on hers.

"I didn't know I missed you, Until I saw you. That day on the dock when I arrived I was just... I guess I was- "

"we've both changed a great deal, haven't we Kay. " Iroh's voice was oddly tender and hearing her old nickname in his new adult voice made her cheeks flush, she thanked the spirits it was dark so he would never notice. He was right, They had both changed a lot in the many years they were separated, before; they would have been bickering at the most of any sort of communication and now they stand alone in the dark ten years later practically confessing their new feelings for each other.

Before either of them could speak another word, Kenaya's hand was grabbed out of the dark. She snapped her head to the side, recognising Korra's smirk she exhaled.

"Korra! You scared me!" she laughed nudging her slightly,

"Well we thought we lost you both!" Korra stopped and looked between them both "what where you two doing back here anyways?"

"Nothing! Just.. catching up" Iroh splattered violently, brushing down his jacket and straightening it once again. Korra's smirk was set on her face, her eyes darting from face to face quick like a dragon hawk.

"Suuurree.. okay- WELL guys I promised pema I would have everyone back in time to get ready for the party tonight.. soooo"

"COME ON PEOPLE THE PARTY'S NOT GOING TO WAIT" Bolins voice shouted from the top of the road and echoed the streets, causing the three of them to wince. Iroh straightened up and briskly walked ahead, Korra kept hold of Kenaya's hand, pulling her up the road behind him.


End file.
